CF, what I see in your chinook graph is a rapid increase in harvest to the late 19th century, followed by a decline, followed by a new level of sustainable effort, followed by steady decline after the 1920s. The sustained harvest that was shown from say the 1880s and early 1920s probably wouldn't have lasted, but the true decline certainly does coincide with the dams, after the early 20s.

Don't know about the bump in the mid-80s, but I do know it coincided with large increases in catch state-wide. God must waved his hand over the ocean or something. Just goes to show how ocean conditions can exert a tremendous influence. Good ocean conditions will exert an influence in Columbia numbers over the past few years, as you point out, but keep in mind, most of these are hatchery fish, not wild. If left to natural production, the glory days of the Columbia are gone.